What is 'Koto-osame' on December 8th?

December 8th is paired with February 8th, and it is a special day called 'Koto-yoka' (the Day of Things). Here is an introduction to 'Koto-osame'.

📅 What is 'Koto-osame' on December 8th?

'Koto-osame' (the completion of things) is one of Japan's traditional annual events, mainly referring to the day that concludes a series of farm work, festivals, or events.
The word 'koto' originally refers to important tasks related to religious services or seasonal milestones, such as 'matsurigoto' (religious rituals), 'events,' or 'farm work'.

1. The mixture of 'Koto-hajime' and 'Koto-osame' (regional differences)

For the 'Koto-yoka' events, depending on what is considered a 'koto,' whether December 8th or February 8th is the 'Koto-hajime' (beginning of things) or 'Koto-osame' (completion of things) varies by region and custom.

Meaning of 'Koto' Main regions
Farm work or worldly affairs: Mainstream interpretation (Western Japan, etc.)
New Year preparations: Parts of the Kanto region (customs since the Edo period)
December 8th is for completing farm work, Koto-hajime (starting New Year preparations)
February 8th is for starting farm work, Koto-osame (putting away New Year decorations)

Thus, December 8th becomes 'Koto-osame' because it strongly implies a day to safely conclude a year's worth of farm work and busy worldly events.

2. Customs of the day of Koto-osame

On the 'Koto-osame' or 'Koto-yoka' of December 8th, various customs remain to avoid illness and misfortune.

① Hari-kuyo (Needle Memorial Service / Hari-osame)

* An event to hold a memorial service for broken or old needles and to pray for improvement in sewing skills.
* On this day, there was a custom to rest from needlework such as sewing and to appreciate the labor. It is often held on December 8th in Kansai and February 8th in Kanto.

② Eating 'Okoto-jiru' (Koto soup)

* There is a custom of eating a miso-based soup with root vegetables such as daikon radish, carrots, taro, burdock, konjac, and adzuki beans.
* Because it contains these six types of ingredients, it is also called 'Mushitsu-jiru' (six-quality soup).
* The red color of the adzuki beans is believed to have a warding-off effect, and it was eaten to pray for a good harvest and good health for the year.

Introducing dishes for 'Koto-hajime'.

'Koto-hajime' refers to December 8th or December 13th (New Year's Koto-hajime), or February 8th (Koto-hajime for farm work), and the day differs depending on the region and what that 'koto' means.
However, there is a traditional dish that has been eaten on these milestone days called 'Koto-yoka' to pray for good health and a good harvest. That is 'Okoto-jiru'.

🍲 'Okoto-jiru' eaten at Koto-hajime and Koto-osame
Okoto-jiru (or 'Okoto-ni') is a miso-based soup with many ingredients eaten on the days of Koto-hajime and Koto-osame to pray for that year's good harvest and the family's good health.

1. Also known as 'Mushitsu-jiru'
Although the ingredients vary by region, the traditional Okoto-jiru is also called 'Mushitsu-jiru' and is characterized by including 6 types of ingredients that are blessings from the earth.

Ingredients and their meanings/roles

Taro (or taro-like vegetables)
Removes old blood, promotes blood circulation, and aids digestion.
Daikon radish
Aids digestion and regulates physical condition in winter.
Carrot
Warms the five internal organs, replenishes blood, and increases nourishment.
Burdock
Said to have detoxifying effects and roles in soothing inflammation.
Adzuki beans
The red color has the meaning of warding off evil and bad spirits, and it promotes water metabolism.
Konjac
Cleans the gastrointestinal tract.

These root vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber, making them a sensible dish that warms the body to the core in the cold season.

2. Points for making Okoto-jiru
* Cooking method: Miso-based is standard, but depending on the region, there are also soy sauce-based versions closer to 'nimono' (simmered dishes).
* Ingredients: It is ideal to have the 6 types mentioned above, but it is considered acceptable to add root vegetables available at home (such as arrowhead or lotus root) or vegetables harvested in that area.
* Handling adzuki beans: Adzuki beans are boiled together with other ingredients and added as an ingredient. Sometimes the cooking liquid from the adzuki beans is used in the miso soup.

🍚 Other foods related to 'Koto-hajime'
'New Year's Koto-hajime' (December 13th) is also the day to start preparations to welcome the New Year deity, so preparations for New Year's dishes begin in earnest from this day.

* Preparation of Osechi dishes:
From the day of Koto-hajime, preparations for ingredients and tools used for Osechi dishes begin. Each Osechi dish contains wishes for longevity, prosperity of descendants, and good harvests.
* Examples: Black beans (working diligently), herring roe (prosperity of descendants), tazukuri (abundant harvest), etc.

③ Mono-imi (Abstinence)

* Koto-yoka was considered a special day when gods visit, or a day when plague gods arrive, so 'mono-imi' (abstinence) was practiced to restrain oneself and limit actions.
* There was a custom of avoiding entering the mountains or resting from daily work (especially needlework, etc.).

④ Summary
As a Japanese custom

'Koto-hajime' is considered a traditional Japanese annual event (custom) and is rooted in various regions.

Why 'Koto-hajime' is a Japanese custom
1. Connection with religious services (farm work/festivals):
Since the word 'koto' originally refers to festivals related to gods and milestones in farm work, which was the foundation of life, it is deeply connected to Shinto-based thinking and old Japanese lifestyle habits.

2. Specific calendar days (Koto-yoka):
Setting milestones for actions on specific calendar days such as 'Koto-yoka' on February 8th and December 8th, or 'New Year's Koto-hajime' on December 13th, is an ancient Japanese culture and custom.

3. Existence of concrete customs:
The fact that concrete customs and events accompanying the day of Koto-hajime, such as 'Hari-kuyo,' 'eating Okoto-jiru,' and 'Susu-harai' (soot cleaning), are passed down in various regions is proof that it is a Japanese custom.
In particular, 'New Year's Koto-hajime' on December 13th is considered an important event throughout Japan as the day to start preparations (such as soot cleaning) to welcome the New Year deity.

#Koto-hajime #December8th #February8th